Avian influenza, bird flu, has been confirmed at an egg farm in Fengyuan District, Taichung City, according to Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) on Wednesday. The government said a mass culling for the remaining birds is scheduled for this Thursday.

The virus killed over 1,700 of the 7,000 hens at the farm between January 10 and 26. The city government announced that they had directed personnel to destroy eggs from the farm and to disinfect the production facility and all farms within a 3-kilometer radius.

The Agriculture Bureau said the business owner failed to report the incident proactively, so compensation will not be provided for the losses from culling animals and destroying supplies. The owner faces a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$32,000).

A whistle-blower alerted authorities and shared observations on social media, saying they saw a large number of dead chickens over the past two weeks being buried on the farm and sometimes packed in cloth bags to be taken away.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) commented on the central government’s involvement this Thursday, saying, “Last year during the typhoon in southern Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai led his team to the front lines. The same was true for the disaster in Hualien. The central government was also on the front lines regarding African swine fever in Taichung. Therefore, if needed, the central government will definitely not hesitate to assist the Taichung City Government in overcoming various difficulties. We offer encouragement to Premier Cho Jung-tai and his team – a capable team.”

Authorities are still investigating to determine the potential contamination of other chicken farms and clarify the whereabouts of farm personnel.